Portable electric light with battery charging bracket



Jan. 15, 1952 J. w. HAUTALA 2,582,330

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT WITH BATTERY CHARGING BRACKET Ill Q w jZ INVENTOR.

6 JOHN W HAUTALA Jan. 15, 1952 J. w. HAUTALA 3 PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT WITH BATTERY CHARGING BRACKET Filed Feb. 8, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. Jenn W. HAUTALA vWmz iwaQA/lsys Patented Jan. 15, 1952 PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT WITH BATTERY CHARGING BRACKET John W. Hautala, Canton, Ohio Application February 8, 1949, Serial No. 75,173

1 Claim.

having contacts which are engageable when the flashlight casing is supported in the receptacle or bracket for connecting the one-cell flashlight with the generator.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a wet-cell flashlight casing and a bracket for supporting the casing having readily separable contact members engageable while the casing is in the bracket for connecting the battery of the flashlight to the automobile generator, the contact members being so supported on the casing and bracket that the chance of inadvertently short-circuiting the flashlight or the generator is greatly minimized.

A further object of this invention is to provide a flashlight for use as a trouble light, the light having a one-cell casing formed with means for removably supporting an electric light bulb and lens casing in such a manner that the head, or light bulb and lens, may be readily removed from one battery and applied to another.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is afront elevation of a trouble light constructed according to an embodiment of my invention:

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section;

Figure 3 is a top plan view;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section, partly broken away, taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a schematic wiring diagram showing the invention incorporated in the electrical system of a conventional automobile.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I L188" 2 ignates generally a flashlight or trouble light which is adapted to be carried about in an automobile, and to be charged by the generator of the automobile while it is seated in a bracket I I fixed at a suitable and convenient location in the automobile, and connected to the generator.

The bracket I I is formed of a rectangular box open at the top thereof and provided with a pair of outwardly-extending ears I2 which are adapted to be secured by bolts I4, or other suitable fastening means, to a desirable position in the automobile. A pair of upstanding contact arms I5 and I6 are fixed on the outside of the rear wall of the bracket II and extend upwardly beyond the upper edge of the bracket. The portions of the contact arms I5 and I6 above the bracket are forwardly oifset and disposed substantially in alignment with the inner surface of the rear wall I1 of the bracket II. Each of the contact arms I5 and I6 is formed with an integral, laterally-extending lug I8 for connection of an electrical lead which is ultimately connected to the generator of the automobile.

The trouble light Ill further comprises battery casing formed of a suitable composition or other insulating material, substantially in the same manner as the casing of conventional automobile batteries. The casing 20 is substantially closed, but formed with a filler opening 2| in the upper wall thereof. A filler cap 22 threadably engages in the opening 2| for closing the casing 20 when it has been filled to the desired level with water. Plates 24 are supported within the casing 20 and connected to a pair of battery posts 25, which extend upwardly through the top wall 26 of the casing 20.

A flange 21 extends upwardly from one side wall of the casing 20 above the top wall 26 of the casing 20 and above the upper end of the battery posts 25. A similar flange 28 is formed on the opposite side wall of the battery casing 20 and the two flanges 21 and 28 are connected together by an upstanding flange 29 formed as an extension of the rear wall of the casing. The flanges 21, 28 and 29 may be fixed to, or preferably formed integrally with the casing 20. The flanges 21, 28 and 29 are formed with inwardly-facing grooves 30.

The head member 3| comprising a flat base plate 32 is formed of composition or other suitable insulating material having a substantial rigid characteristic. The base plate 32 is substantially rectanguler in configuration and its edges are slidably engageable in the groove 30 of the flanges 21, 2B and 29 so that the head 3| occupies a position over the upper end of the battery casing and above the battery posts which extend through the top wall 26 of the battery casing. A depending flange or lip 34 extends downwardly from the front edge of the plate 32 for closing the space between the top wall 26 of the casing 20 and the base plate 32.

A pair of contact fingers 35 and 31 are fixed on the bottom surface of the plate 32 for engagement with the battery posts 25. The contact fingers 38 and t! are fixed on the bottom surface of the plate 32 by screws 38, or other suitable fastening means engaging their rear ends. The free forward ends of the contact fingers 36 and 31 are downwardly offset from the flat plate 32 for frictionally engaging the upper ends of the battery posts 25. The rear ends of the contact fingers 36 and 3'! extend outwardly beyond the rear edge of the plate 32, and have vertical lugs rising therefrom and arranged for engagement with the contact arms lb and it which are fixed on the bracket Ii. The upwardly-extending flange 29 is formed with cut-out portions or recesses 39 through which the lugs of the contact fingers 35 and 31 extend.

A lamp housing 50 is fixed on the upper side of the base plate 32 and has an open front and a downwardly and rearwardly curved wall 4!. A

reflector 42 is secured in the open front of the housing and a light bulb socket 44 is fixed in substantially the center of the reflector 42. A

lens 45, which is convex in configuration, is secured in the open end of the housing 48 forwardly of the reflector 42. A light bulb 46 having a bayonet base 4'1 is engaged in the socket M for supporting the light bulb 4'6. One wire, as 48, extends through the housing 49 rearwardly of the reflector 42 and is connected at one end to the socket 44. The other end of the wire 48 is connected to one of the contact fingers, as the contact finger 31, by a screw 49, or other suitable conducting fastening means. A switch 5! is fixed on the inner surface of the rear wall 4| of the housing ii! and has a handle or lever 52 extending upwardly through an opening in the top of the housing 45. A wire 54 connects the other side of the socket to one of the terminals of the switch 5|. A Wire 55 extends through an opening in the rear wall 4!, opposite from the opening for the wire it, and a screw 56 secures the free end of the wire 55 to the base plate 32 and connects the wire to the contact finger 36 carried by the base plate.

When the base plate 52 is slid into the grooves 8i: of the flanges 2i and 28, the downwardly-offset face ends of the contact fingers .35 and 31 engage on the upper ends of the battery posts 25. The circuit to thebulb 56 is completed through the switch 5!, so that the operator may selectively turn the trouble light off and on.

A bail handle 5? is pivotally connected to the outer sides of the side walls of the battery casing by pivot pins 5c. The handle 51 extends upwardly over the lamp housing All to provide a suitable handle or supporting strap for the trouble light It.

In the use and operation or" the trouble light i-0, the bracket I iis adapted to be fixed by fastening members engaging through the ears 2 to a suitable part of the automobile. The trouble light 10 is then seated in the bracket i whereby the free ends of the contact fingers 36 and 31 en gage the battery posts 25 and the lugs on the fingers 3'6 and '3! engage the contact arms 15 and it, which are carried by the bracket H. When the battery casing 29 and lamp housing 40 are together removed from the bracket or receptacle II, the battery will provide sufficient power for operating the bulb 48 for a considerable period of time. When the battery casing and lamp housing are engaged in the bracket H, suitable circuit-connecting means are provided for charging the battery in the casing 20 from the power of the generator of the automobile.

In Figure '7 I have shown a circuit diagram for the conventional electrical system of an automobile, which consists of a battery 68, a voltage regulator 5i and a generator 62. The battery 60 is connected to the voltage regulator by a lead 64 and the other post of the battery 60 is grounded. A wire 65 connects the generator with the voltage regulator 6i, and a wire 66 connects the voltage regulator to the other side of the generator and to the resistance circuit 61 of the automobile. In the use of my trouble light in and bracket 5 l therefor, I have provided a separate voltage regulator 68 to be connected to the generator 62 independently of the voltage regulator SI of the vehicle electrical circuit. A wire 69 is tapped into the wire 65 intermediate the length thereof. The other end of the wire 69 is connected to one end of the cutout relay voltage coil ?!1 of the voltage regulator 68 added for my trouble light In. The other end of the coil it is grounded, and a cutout relay current coil ii is connected to the wire 68 at substantially the same position that the first end of the coil 10 is connected. The other end of the cutout relay current coil H is connected to a post i2 which is connected to a breaker point l4. Voltage relay control. coils 15 are also connected to the post 12 opposite from the coils MI and H. The breaker point 14 is formed on an armature 15 to be ac tuated by the coils 10, "H and 15. A second breaker point 'i'! is operatively associated with the breaker point 14 for completing a charging circuit to the battery of my invention. A wire 18 connects the breaker point 17 to one terminal, i5 or iii, of the bracket H, and another wire 19 connects the other terminal, i5 or I6, to a ground. When the generator speed comes to normal, the proper voltage acts on the cutout voltage relay coil Hl which pulls the points 15 and IT together. This completes the circuit to the trouble light In from the generator 62 for charging the battery of which the trouble light Ill is formed. When the battery reaches a maximum density, being fully charged, the trouble light It offers sufficient resistance to cause the current to now to the voltage relay control coils which pull the contact points 14 and TI apart. When the voltage of th trouble light at is greater than that of the generator, current from the battery flows to the cutout relay current coil H for initially opening the contact points 14 and H.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claim.

I claim:

Ina portable lamp, a bracket comprising a rectangular housing having side walls and end walls and being open at its upper end and closed at its lower end, a of contact secured on one end wall of the bracket housing and pro jecting above the upper end of one end wall, a rectangular insulated battery casing removabiy and conformably seated in said bracket housing, said battery casing having a closed upper end end thereof, said flange means being limited to extend along the opposite side walls and the said one end wall of the battery casing, said flange means being formed on its laterally inward side with groove means, and a removable lamp head comprising a rectangular insulated base plate p0- sitioned over the upper end of the battery casing and having side edges slidably engaging said groove means, a pair of contact fingers on the under side of said base plate having free ends engaging the battery posts and other ends having lugs thereon engaging said contact arms, and a lamp housing fixed on the upper side of said base plate having a light bulb therein having terminals connected to said contact fingers.

JOHN W. HAUTALA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS m Number Name Date 1,469,783 Essington Oct. 9, 1923 1,964,201 Harsted June 26, 1934 2,233,377 Talbot Feb. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 120,369 Great Britain (void spec. printed 1919) 

